Venom

Women slither and men stare at Belltown hot spot Venom, whose name merely got more specific (from Club Medusa) upon being acquired by the owners of Pioneer Square honky-tonk haven Cowgirls Inc. The cover is steep on Saturday night, the dance floor illuminated with green lasers and packed with people intent on loosening their collars—even if that just means sipping an Incredible Hulk (Hennessy and Hpnotiq) while joining the line of bachelors against the back wall. Like a high-school dance one decade later, groups of gartered girls bump and grind while the guys cop feels and phone numbers. Catwalks high overhead display go-go dancers in furry boots and little else, their shot-bearing co-workers making the rounds to VIP tables ensconced in chain-mail curtains. The sound system's mids are muffled, but the overzealous DJ does his part—de rigueur mash-ups and all—to put the bite on Belltown's fickle and flirtatious. RACHEL SHIMP 2218 Western Ave., 206-448-4887, www.venomseattle.com.